(Jax)

Yelling and sirens sounded outside. I pressed my ear to the wall, waiting to find out when they’d be coming for us. The werewolves were going to come for Jedrek. Hopefully, he was far away from here.

My mother slipped behind the couch and held me in her arms. She played with my hair as we waited. It was dark out, but the flames that had spread could be seen flickering through the windows. My father was watching the fire. He had everything ready, so if it got too close to the house, we would make a run for it. 

Large shadows passed along the side of the house. My heart started to pound. 

“Mom,” I whispered. I watched them travel along the front window to the door. 

She carefully laid me down and pressed her finger to her lips. Moving the couch into place, she went to join my dad. I heard the pounding on the door and flinched with each one. The frame gave way, and the door broke free. I slowly turned onto my stomach and looked under the couch. I could see the werewolves' feet. 

“Where are they?” said a deep voice.

“Gone,” answered my father. “They ran away with the others.”

“Your son did this. One of them murdered a werewolf, and when we find them, we will slaughter them both.”

My parents backed away from the three werewolves who had entered our home. 

“Murderers who set fire to their own town before abandoning their parents. Disgusting, worthless humans,” the werewolf stated with disdain. “They will be hunted down and killed. To harm a werewolf is one thing, but to kill one is the death penalty—they’re no better than rogues. As for you two”—he grabbed my father—“you will be reprocessed, and I assure you, if you are allowed to live, your life will not be as easy as it is here. Take them.”

More werewolves entered and grabbed my parents. My mother started to cry, but didn’t fight them. I lay still on the floor, covering my mouth to muffle the sound of my breath. What would I even do on my own? I could crawl to the neighbors. If I got to my chair, I’d be able to move faster.

The last werewolf stood in the entryway. He took a step toward the door, and I relaxed for the moment until he stopped. He just stood there with his ears twitchy. Closing my eyes, I focused on staying as still as possible. I heard footsteps, and my eyes shot open as he stepped onto the couch. I gasped when his face appeared above, and I batted his hands away as he tried to get a hold of me. 

“Get away from me!” I screamed. “I didn’t do it. I wasn’t there! I didn’t do anything wrong.”

“Leave him alone!” my mother yelled. “Jax hasn’t done anything wrong.”

The werewolf threw the couch out of the way and stared at me. I lay there shaking. This was a dominant werewolf. Not like the middle ranks who oversaw the town. 

He took a step towards me. I drew my legs in close and hid my face. His hand landed on my leg. All I could do was wait. Kill me, hurt me—I didn’t have the physical ability to fight him off, so this might be it.

“What a mess,” he breathed, examining my frail legs. “What was she going to do, leave you here to die?” Picking me up under the arms, he tossed me over his shoulder and left the house. 

“No! No!” said my mother. “Leave him alone. Jax didn’t do anything. He had nothing to do with this. He’s innocent!”

“He will be reprocessed,” stated the werewolf. “Just like everyone else.” He waved his hand at the humans gathered on the road covered in soot. “We’ll find out who is loyal to the pack, and who will be better off somewhere else.”

“Please,” begged my mother. “Please, let him go.”

“Pack them up! We’re going to figure out what the hell is going on in this town because this fucking shit is never happening again.” He pointed at the burned fields. “Mated couples go to the second train. Everyone else is on the first.” The werewolf carried me to a truck parked on the road. He placed me in the bed, which was nearly full already with younger humans. Most were small children. He went to the window and gave the driver directions. With a wave from him, the truck started down the road to the train station. 

The power was out in some sections of our small town. People were being herded out of their homes. They were really reprocessing everyone. It wasn’t just my family. The death of a werewolf was a serious matter and rare, but I didn’t think the whole town should be punished because of my stupid brother’s actions. 

What was Jed thinking? I rubbed my face.

The truck pulled up into an empty spot near the train platform. The usual train carts that carried corn and grain had been replaced with passenger carts.  Werewolves were organizing the town into two groups: married couples and singles. Children weren’t even allowed to stay with their parents.

The driver got out. “Alright, let’s go. Behave yourself, and you’ll be on the next train back home. This is just a precaution. You’ll all be fine.” 

The children climbed out and were taken to the first set of travel cars. The married couples were being taken across the tracks to another set on the other side. I just sat there. I couldn’t walk. My chair was back at the house. There wasn’t much I could do.

“Hey, you, let’s go.” A brown werewolf marched toward me. “Didn’t you hear him?”

Bowing my head, I tried to stay calm. My hands were shaking. I could feel the fatigue setting in from having to hold myself up. The dominant glanced over the side of the vehicle and saw my legs. 

He let out a sigh. “Hmm… come here.” Lifting me out of the back, he carried me across the platform. I was taken inside and placed on a bench. The other humans were all huddled together in a different section, wrapped in blankets. 

“They did it,” whispered a teenage girl. “His brothers killed the werewolves and then tried to burn down the whole town.”

“What’s wrong with your family?” another stated. “Are you trying to kill everyone?”

I didn’t know what to say. It wasn’t like I could read Jed’s mind. I turned toward the back of the seat. This was fucking messed up. I knew he hated the werewolves, but this was taking it too far. The werewolves could kill my whole family because of this.

“Most of us will be set back here,” whispered a boy. “I heard some other people tried to run during the fire, trying to make it to the south. They’re all going to be caught, and the family that had deserters will be moved. The werewolves are just making sure they get everyone who was involved. We’ll be fine.”

“Where will they take us?”

“Central, the capital, most likely. My brother told me about it. It’s a huge warehouse where they process humans and ship them off to different areas in the pack. That’s where the alpha lives,” said the boy. “My brother said they take a blood sample, even if you’re not eighteen, to see if you’re a good fit, before reassigning you. They write it all down and put it in your file. Once they do that, we’ll be sent back. Hopefully….”

I could feel eyes on my back. I wouldn’t be. My brother caused this mess. Not only did Jed start a fire and run, but he also killed a werewolf. If they ever caught him, he’d be slaughtered on site. My eyes started to burn. I didn’t think today would end like this. The last memory I had of my siblings was of them eating stupid cereal. That was it? They’d be killed before I could even say goodbye. I was the one who was going to die any day. It was supposed to be me, but I might outlive them all. 

Covering my face, I tried to keep it together, but I had a feeling I would never leave the warehouse they were talking about. I couldn’t work; I didn't offer any value to the pack. I’d never see my home again. I’d never see my family again. Letting out a deep breath, I prayed that my siblings make it to the south. That would be the only thing that saved them. If my brothers and Maggie made it to freedom, then it was worth it. It would all be worth it.